Dispenser for vaporizable material



Nov. 21, 1939 H. T. WEISS 2,180,752

DISPENSER FOR VAPORIZABLE MATERIAL Filed April 30, 1938 FIG. Fm 2 F [a 5 FIG. 4

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wvmra? Pf ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 21, 1939 UNITED STATES DISPENSER FOR VAPORIZABLE MATERIAL Harold T. Weiss,

Los Angeles, Calif.

Application April 30, 1938, Serial No. 205,378

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved dispenser for vaporizable material and has, for one of its principal objects, the provision of means for mounting vaporizable material such as insecti- 5 cides, moth preventives, disinfectants, deodorants and the like in a dispensing container whereby a more efiicient and uniform evaporation of the contained material will take place.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide a container designed to support and restrain a vaporizing material which evaporates and releases a gas or vapor which is heavier than air and wherein the container and the relationship of the contained material within the container is such that a more efiicient evaporization and distribution of the material takes place.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a dispensing container for vaporizable material wherein the material itself is so placed in the container and so shaped that the parts at the points where greatest evaporization takes place are thicker than other parts, whereby a definitely controlled uniform fiow of evaporated gas or vapor issues from the container while in use.

Another and still further important object of the invention resides in the provision of means in such a container whereby the material to be evaporated is held in the container in a simple yet efficient manner and also wherein the maximum surface of the evaporizable material is always presented to the currentjof air passing through the container.

Other and further important objects of the in- 5 vention will be apparent from the disclosures in the accompanying drawing and following specification.

The invention, in a preferred form, is shown in the drawing and hereinafter more fully de- 40 scribed.

'In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a preferred form of container for vaporizable material constructed. in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figures 2, 3 and 4 are also top plan views of other similar containers showing slight modifications.

Figures 5, 6, 7 and. 8 are front views of different styles of the containers.

Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 are bottom plan views of the containers of Figures 1 and 5, 2 and 6, 3 and 7, 4 and 8 respectively.

Figure 13 is a side view of container and in- 55 dicating the vaporizable material in the container by dotted lines and theretaining bead or groove.

Figure 14 is a perspective viewof a cake of the evaporable material such as. is adapted to be inserted into the containers of the preceding figures.

Figure 15 is a sectional view of the container of Figures 3, 7 and 11 showing a cake of the evaporable material positioned in the container and illustrating the actionfof the air over the cake of material when the air is passing through the container.

Figure 16 is a sectional view of the container of Figures 4, 8 and 12 showing the interior cake of volatile material and. showing the action of the air currents passing into and out of the container and over the contained cake.

Figure 17 is a sectional view of'the structure of Figurelfi, showing the operation of the device after considerable evaporation has taken place.

As shown in the drawing:

The reference numeral 2!] indicates generally the top of a dispensing container adapted for supporting and maintaining the volatile material adapted to be dispensed by the process of this invention, the material being generallya cake of some insecticide or moth repellant material.

The reference numerals 22, 24 and 26 show respectively in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the tops of similar containers, the top 22 having a slot 28 therein for the ingress'of air, and there being a similar slot 30 in the top 26.

The reference numerals 32, 34, 36 and 38 are front plan views of the containers whose tops are illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively, and it will be noted that the front 32 of the container of Figure 5 has two slots therein 40 and 42 at the top and bottom thereof respectively, these slots being for the ingress of air and egress of air mingled with evaporated insecticide.

The container of Figures 2 and 6 has a circular opening 44 adjacent the bottom thereof, this being for pouring the liquefied insecticide into the container, and is then closed by a friction plug.

The device of Figures 3 and 7 has a series of shorter slots 46 in its front plate 36 and a'series of small circular openings 48 preferably arranged in rows adjacent the lower edge of its front face, these being likewise for the ingress of air and the egress of air mingled with'vapor.

As shown in Figures 4 and 8, the opening for pouring in the liquefied insecticide may be located in the front near the top, to be later closed with a friction plug.

Figure 9 shows at 52 the bottom of the container of Figures 1 and 5, the bottom of this container having a circular opening 56 therein for filling the container, later to be closed by a plug.

In Figures 6 and 10, the circular opening 44 in the front of the container is for inserting the liquefied insecticide in the container, and in Figure H, the larger circular opening 60 in the bottom 62 of the container is for filling and is then plugged.

In Figures 4, 8 and 12, the air loaded with vapors escapes through a slot 64 in the bottom lit of the container. The filling hole is shown at 58.

Figure 13 illustrates a representative container 33 having an additional surrounding ring groove "ill which holds the contained cake 12 of vaporizable material in position. This cake I2 is shown in perspective in Figure 14.

Figure 15 illustrates the action of the air passing through the container of Figures 1, 5 and 9, and Figure 16 illustrates the action of the air passing through the container of Figures 4, 8 and 12, the action, of course, being similar in the case of the other containers.

Figure 1? shows the container of Figure 16 after air has been passing therethrough for some time and illustrates the general contour of the within contained cake of evaporable material after a considerable portion thereof has been evaporated, and further illustrates the fact that the actual evaporable surface of the cake of material has not been diminished to any appreciable extent if at all. It will be noted that owing to the wedge shape of the material to be evaporated, the actual area of evaporating material during the operating life of the container is approximately the same throughout and is constantly exposed to evaporation. This would not be true and this result could not be obtained if the content of evaporating material were some other shape, as, for example, a cube, a rectangular parallelopipedon, a cylinder or some similarly shaped volumetric mass either with square or slightly rounded or even beveled corners and edges, where the evaporating material has the same thickness throughout the surface, toward the top particularly, where the released gas or vapor is heavier than air, evaporates a considerable length .of time earlier than the surface toward the bottom. Due to this occurrence, when the top portion of the material has evaporated and the adjacent surface of the container is bare, the area of the exposed surface of the remaining material becomes continually smaller so that the fumes or vapors released become less and less, and, therefore, the efliciency of such a shaped mass would constantly decrease.

In filling the container of this invention with the evaporable material, the same may be done by pouring it into the container when in a liquid state, through holes 5 it, til or 58 and allowing it to solidify with the container tilted at a proper corresponding angle so that a wedgeshaped mass results. On the other hand, the material may be preliminarily pressed or otherwise shaped into a wedge formation and inserted into the container. In either case, the thick part of the wedge is at the top end of the container and the thin end at the bottom.

The fact that the container is vented in only two locations; namely, one near the top or actually in the top and also near or in the bottom; provides a direct flow of air or air and gas between these two points over the surface of the contents. This produces a more rapid evaporation at the top which is the thickest, and evaporation decreases on the surface exposed below so that at the very bottom of the wedge, evaporation is so slow as to be practically negligible.

It is important that the inlet and outlet openings are in the positions outlined in the drawing, as, otherwise, the device would not fully accomplish its purpose.

The same result could be obtained if a similarly vented container were produced which had the height of its top and bottom ends different and had angular sides to conform to the difference in height of the ends so that there would be a slanting face or front. Another modification would be in providing a back which was upset or set in at an angle so that in either case, the evaporable material in the container would be a wedge-shaped mass with its thickest part at the top.

Another point of distinct advantage is that the volume of gas produced and released is in direct proportion to the exposed area of the surface of the evaporable material. Obviously, therefore, there is presented herewith a very exceptional advantage in this container in that there is always approximately the same exposed surface of evaporating material throughout the value of its operating life, and, therefore, an approximately constant volume of desired gas will be produced at all times.

The fact that in such containers there is a marked tendency to saturation of the air in the lower portion of the container, probably due to accumulation of the heavy gas laden air in this lower portion, makes for much faster evaporation at the top than at the bottom. To some degree, this isindependent of drafts and may be due to a disposition of the saturated air to cling to the lower surface of the mass of the compound, the evaporation of this lower part of the surface of the mass being retarded because it is blanketed with a saturated mixture.

The wedge-shaped slab of th s invention automatically affords a circulation through the container beginning at the top, then directly along and over the angular face of the wedge and out at the bottom thereof. When evaporation starts, it is equal along the entire face but soon becomes slower at the bottom than along the upper portion. By adjustment of the angle at which the slab is cast to the area of the lower vent, a slab is obtained which evaporates fastest at the top and slowest at the bottom so that, in practice, the exposed area of the slab remains practically constant until evaporation is complete, the angle of the face merely growing flatter.

In the event that an evaporating material or a number of different chemicals were used that produced a gas lighter than air, the container as described would have to be inverted so that the thickest part of the mass was at the bottom of the container. This would allow the top portion of receive the concentration of the saturated gas mixture.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction varied throughout a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than as necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing container for evaporable material, comprising a box having sides, top and bottom, and a wedge-shaped cake of evaporable material in the box with its thickend near the top, the box having inlet and outlet openings in the container adjacent its top and bottom respectively, the evaporatable material being such that air contacting the same becomes heavier.

2. A dispensing container for evaporable material, comprising a box having parallel sides,

1 top and bottom, and a wedge-shaped cake of evaporable material in the box with its thick end near the top, the box having inlet and outlet openings in the container adjacent its top and bottom respectively, the evaporatable material being such that air contacting the same becomes heavier andowill flow out through the bottom opening in the container together with means for retaining the slab of material in position in the container.

HAROLD T. WEISS. 

